Hiding from the fickle finger of fate

For Americans born after 1955, polio has had about as much immediate emotional impact as the Black Death, and thus it’s hard to conjure up the sense of terror that surrounded any mention of the disease barely half a century ago. In his new novel, Nemesis, Philip Roth evokes his native Newark amid a raging epidemic in 1944, focusing on one decent man’s futile struggle to understand...

Book Clubs Column by Julie Hale

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle By David Wroblewski Shakespeare’s Hamlet provides the foundation for Wroblewski’s debut—a compelling coming-of-age-tale set in 1970s Wisconsin. Edgar, a mute boy who helps his parents run their dog-breeding business, has a remarkable ability to bond with and train canines. He comes from a family of dog lovers that includes his grandfather, who...

Philip Roth's fond farewell to his literary alter ego

Through nine novels, beginning with The Ghost Writer in 1979, Philip Roth has created one of the enduring characters in American literary fiction: Nathan Zuckerman. Now, in Exit Ghost, Roth offers what is likely to be Zuckerman's final appearance. Although Roth's many admirers hope he'll produce more works of consequence, in many respects the novel feels like a summing up, both for...

The unbearable sweetness of being

The older Philip Roth gets - he is 73 - the more skillful, economical, perceptive and quietly daring his novels become. There is an irony in this, given the atmospherics of his amazing new novel, Everyman, which explores old age, infirmity, isolation and the inevitable yet always surprising fact of our personal extinction.We meet Roth's nameless protagonist (who is about the same age as Roth...

Book Clubs Column by Julie Hale

Another ingenious mix of fact and fiction from one of America's most esteemed authors, this provocative novel is Roth's strongest offering in recent years. Taking liberties with history, he re-imagines the 1940s as a decade in which hero-pilot Charles A. Lindbergh beats out Franklin D. Roosevelt for president. Roth constructs the novel around Lindbergh's alleged anti-Semitism (according to...

Audio Column by Sukey Howard

Philip Roth's latest, much lauded The Plot Against America, brilliantly imagines what a Jewish family in New Jersey would have faced if Charles Lindbergh, anti-Semitic and anti-interventionist, had won the presidential election of 1940. Engaging, provocative, relevant and effectively read by Ron Silver.

Well Read Column by Robert Weibezahl

Imagine if aviator Charles Lindbergh, America's golden boy and a Nazi sympathizer, had run for president against FDR in 1940, and won. The Japanese might not have attacked Pearl Harbor; the United States might not have joined the Allies in the fight against fascism in Europe and Asia. But what would have been the fate of American Jews? That is the tantalizing premise of The Plot Against...

A lion in winter

Forty years into a distinguished acting career, Simon Axler suddenly finds himself bereft of his ability to perform. His wife has deserted him and a halfhearted attempt at suicide lands him in a psychiatric hospital, where he meets a woman whose own struggle with depression haunts him long after his own discharge. His elderly but still enthusiastic agent tries in vain to persuade him to tackle...

Book Clubs Column by Julie Hale

Field Guide By Gwendolen Gross The Australian rain forest provides a lush backdrop for this appealing debut novel. Annabel Mendelssohn, a young graduate student haunted by her brother's death, travels to Queensland to study fruit bats in their natural habitat. Via e-mail, she sends humorous reports about the expedition to her sister in the states. Overseeing her project is a handsome,...

Book Clubs Column by Julie Hale

This month's new paperback releases include several books that would make good choices for reading groups. Our recommendations on the best selections are listed below. We hope these titles will inspire lively discussion in your book club. Double Down By Frederick and Steven Barthelme When their parents die, the Barthelme brothers inherit a considerable sum of money, which they proceed to...